1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a field device management apparatus for managing device information about a field device and a field device management system including the field device management apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a field device management apparatus for integrating applications related to device information management.
2. Related Art
A field device management apparatus communicates with a field device used for process control in a chemical plant or the like and also acquires device information (e.g., a device parameter, individual information (e.g., a serial number) or a device tag) about the field device and performs field device management such as parameter setting, device adjustment or maintenance work. Also, the field device management apparatus acquires and manages the device information, using device description (DD) specifications and device type manager (DTM) specifications.
Such a field device management apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a field device management system 4. The field device management system includes a field device management apparatus 1, a communication path 2 and a field device 3.
In FIG. 5, the field device management apparatus 1 includes: an input unit 10; a display unit 11; an user application processing unit 20; a DD application processing unit 30; a virtual communication unit 40; a device description (DD) 51 (hereinafter, referred as to “DD 51”) having a description information 50; a DTM application processing unit 55; a device type manager (DTM) 60; and a communication unit 70, Also, the communication unit 70 is connected to the field device 3 through the communication path 2.
The DD 51 has the description information 50 in which device information such as a parameter of the field device 3 and a definition of an access method to the device information are described. Also, in case where information processing is varied depending on a device status with respect to a parameter (for example, conditional branch processing), the DTM 60 is constructed of an algorithm (program) for executing this information processing. Then, the field device management apparatus 1 acquires device information using the DD 51 as well as the DTM 60.
Since the DD 51 is described by a script language, it is difficult to perform complicated processing such as the conditional branch processing described above, whereas a manufacturer can reduce a development burden. Thus, such a complicated processing is implemented using the DTM 60 utilizing ActiveX (registered trademark) control.
Next, an action in which the field device management apparatus 1 acquires device information from the field device 3 will be described hereinafter. The user application processing unit 20 first receives a device information acquisition request signal from a user 80 through the input unit 10 (a keyboard, a mouse, etc.).
In the case of acquiring device information using DD specifications, the DD application processing unit 30 receives the device information acquisition request signal from the user application processing unit 20. The DD application processing unit 30 reads the description information 50 about the DD 51 through the virtual communication unit 40. Then, according to a definition described in the description information 50, the DD application processing unit 30 communicates with the field device 3 through the DD 51, the communication unit 70 and the communication path 2, and then acquires the device information from the field device 3.
Then, the user application processing unit 20 receives the device information acquired by the DD application processing unit 30, and then displays display data of this device information on the display unit 11 (a CRT, a liquid crystal display, etc.).
Also, in the case of acquiring device information using DTM specifications, the DTM application processing unit 55 receives the device information acquisition request signal from the user application processing unit 20. The DTM application processing unit 55 activates the DTM 60, and the DTM 60 communicates with the field device 3 through the communication unit 70 and the communication path 2, and then acquires the device information from the field device 3.
Then, the user application processing unit 20 receives the device information acquired by the DTM application processing unit 55, and then displays display data of this device information on the display unit 11.
In addition, in the following document, a field device management apparatus in connection with device description (DD) specifications and device type manager (DTM) specifications is described, (see e.g., Isao Hirooka et al.: “Field Device Management Tool of New Era, Field Male”, Yokogawa Technical Report, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, May 20, 2007, Vol. 51 No. 2 (2007), p. 45-48).
By the way, in the case of acquiring device information from the field device 3, it is necessary for the user to separately operate the DD application processing unit 30 and the DTM application processing unit 55 in accordance with the device information. Thus, it becomes complicated and confusion may be caused. Also, the DD specifications differ from the DTM specifications in a display format of the device information. Thus, this may also cause complication and confusion for the user.
Further, it is necessary for a manufacturer to create separate applications for the DD application processing unit 30 and the DTM application processing unit 55, and thus the manufacturer has large development burden and development cost of these applications.